Soon after same sex marriage was legalized in the United States, I had a phone call from a local television reporter at. She asked if any same sex couples had requested to be married in our church. I said they had not. She then asked if I would officiate at such a wedding or if I would decline. I told her I would decline. As soon as I said that, she thanked me and hung up. At the time, I never thought I would be placed in the position of having to answer that question. And things have been getting progressively worse, with more and more perversions being declared acceptable by our society. But I have no problem taking my stand on the Word of God. I am led by what God tells me in His Word before I am obligated to the laws of this land or a ruling of the Supreme Court.

In Luke 4 we have the account of Jesus going to the synagogue of his hometown, Nazareth, and reading from Isaiah (61:1) The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners… After He read that passage from the scroll, Jesus said, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:21). The people wanted to stone Him because they didn’t understand or believe him. They were looking for a different kind of freedom, an earthly freedom. But Jesus brought something better. He was accomplishing freedom for those broken by guilt, freedom for those in bondage to sin, freedom from the darkness of their disobedience. He was the one who came to give spiritual and eternal freedom. That is Good News, the best news you will ever hear, but many fail to recognize it for what it is. That is why you and I have been told to tell them about our Jesus!

So many hear “freedom” and think “I can do anything I want.”  They treat freedom as though it is a declaration of independence from God, saying they don’t need all of His restrictive rules and regulations and commandments. And that is when the trouble begins. There is fallout from that “independence.” When people rebel against God and the laws that He gave us for our own good, they invite trouble into their lives.

All because we think we know better than God and try to do things our way rather than God’s way. Then we cry out to God, demanding that He do something about the problems we have brought on ourselves, and some will react by saying, “I could never believe in a God who allows so much suffering!” And yet the suffering is all because we have not listened to Him and lived according to what he has told us! So listen to what He says now:

Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Galatians 5:13 You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.

1 Peter 2:16 Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.

It is for freedom that Christ has set you free, but not man’s warped definition of freedom. It is not the freedom that this world gives, it is not the freedom to sin, but Jesus gives the freedom of knowing that all your sins were covered by His blood so that you can stand before Him as blameless and clean and forgiven. You have the freedom to live your life as His child and servant. It is for freedom that Christ has set you free. Use that Freedom to follow Him and share Him with others. We need to be that city on a hill, shining the light of God’s truth and mercy and forgiveness and life that is found only in Jesus Christ.